Wandsworth Foodbank Awarded £2,500

A donation from Lifetimes Charity and nursery parents

Wandsworth Foodbank has been awarded £2,500 by Lifetimes Charity’s unique Chances fund, as well as receiving donated food items given by the parents and staff of Puddle-Ducks Nursery in Putney. The award was presented as part of a specially written nativity play.

The Chances funding stream and Puddle-Ducks Nursery are both projects of Lifetimes Charity, the Council for Voluntary Services in Wandsworth. The three strands of the charity came together on Saturday 7th December to present Wandsworth Foodbank with a cheque and donations of food which will be distributed in the run up to Christmas and beyond.

Children aged between 2 and 4 years of age attending Puddle-Ducks performed a unique play about giving and sharing food at Christmas, featuring a special cameo from Dan Frith, Manager of Wandsworth Foodbank.

Wandsworth Foodbank, which runs its services from four locations in Wandsworth, has provided over 1000 people with emergency food since it launched in May this year. The Foodbank relies on donations from schools, churches and shoppers and time given by volunteers.

Lifetimes CEO Tina Champion said:
“It’s sad that there has been such an overwhelming need for the emergency help provided by food banks this year, but Wandsworth Foodbank has done an excellent job of responding to so many families and individuals in crisis in such a short period of time. Whilst we hope the causes of food poverty in the UK will be addressed, we are pleased to be able to provide assistance to help the important work of Wandsworth Foodbank which is so desperately needed, particularly over the Christmas period.”

In response to receiving the donation, Wandsworth Foodbank Manager Dan Frith said:
“We want to say a huge thank you to Lifetimes and Puddle-Ducks for these generous donations. All the food given will go directly to local individuals and families in crisis this Christmas time. The financial grant will go towards our running costs, enabling us to keep supporting local people in 2014 as we respond to the crisis of food poverty in Wandsworth.”

The Chances Funding Stream offers small grants of up to £5000 to charities and community groups based in Wandsworth and working to relieve hardship for parents with children under 13 years of age.